The Future of Consumerist

Over the last twelve years, Consumerist has been a steadfast proponent and voice on behalf of consumers, from exposing shady practices by secretive cable companies to pushing for action against dodgy payday lenders. Now, we’re joining forces with Consumer Reports, our parent organization, to cultivate the next generation of consumer advocacy.

Stay tuned as Consumerist’s current and future content finds its home as a part of the Consumer Reports brand. In the meantime, you can access existing Consumerist content below, and we encourage you to visit Consumer Reports to read the latest consumer news.

Reader J tells us that The Sports Authority and Nike are pulling all their Michael Vick related merchandise, due to Vick’s recent indictment for running a dog fighting kennel. The charges are pretty gruesome. The indictment includes stories of dogs being put to death by electrocution for not passing “tests” to see if they were mean enough fighters, etc. Vick faces up to 6 years in prison if convicted.

J says:

Thought you all might be interested in this. It isn’t necessarily news about consumers being screwed over or their bad experiences, but more about how certain items are going to be harder to find in the near future.

As most of you should be aware, the recent Michael Vick controversy has caused Nike to postpone the release of Vick’s new line of Nike footwear. I work for the Sports Authority Inc., the nation’s largest sporting goods retailer, and we had a directive come across this week ordering all stores that Nike has recalled all Nike footwear, including football cleats and athletic shoes. What that means is that Nike will be eating the cost for those shoes and consumers will be spared at least a few more pairs of overpriced shoes and sports gear.

More interesting than that, though, is the fact that T.S.A. has also directed all stores to pull ALL Michael Vick Jerseys, shirts, and any related signage and advertising. This is a rather bold move, especially since the whole case is still relatively recent news and it is not clear what actions the NFL may eventually take against Vick. What this means is that it is going to get a whole lot harder for consumers to find Michael Vick apparel (whether or not they still want it is another matter), especially for fans as the season gears up in the next few months.

Bad news for those of you who were in the market for some good old “Ron Mexico” apparel, but we can understand the thought process behind this. Michael Vick (who has plead ‘not guilty‘ to the charges) is an embarrassment to the sport, even the NFL has told him to stay away. If stores are pulling their goods, it seems they are just following the NFL’s lead.